Crossing
by Sky's Breaker
Summary: Transported to Hyrule, two teens have no recollection of who they once were, except that they themselves were friends. The land is in ruins; Ganondorf has seized control of the land, Link is imprisoned, and Zelda, well, is up to her usual thing when someone takes over. And to top it off, forces long forgotten begin to awaken as the chaos in Hyrule grows ever stronger.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter One

AN: So, I'm going to do something out of the norm for me; I guess I'm dedicating this story idea to a friend of mine who really got me into the LoZ universe (like _into_ it; I'd always known about it). She knows who she is, and I just hope she likes this story.

Disclaimer: Yeah, yeah, yeah, I don't own LoZ. If I did, Ganondorf would've appeared by now! (six years of no Ganondorf… what is this, Nintendo?) (OoT 3D doesn't count)

-:-

The two of them had been best friends for years. They were one year apart, but it didn't really matter. They had grown up since then, one had moved across the city, but that didn't stop them from being friends.

The younger one, who was seventeen at the time, had orange hair that hit her shoulders. The older one, who was eighteen, had reddish brown hair that was just a little longer. The younger one was named Cora, and the older one was named Nadia.

Currently, they were at Cora's house, playing Skyward Sword. Cora was battling Ghirahim, while Nadia was silently laughing.

"I'm so sorry, I just can't take him seriously," she said to her friend. "Mind if I play my ocarina while you play?" Cora replied that she didn't mind, so Nadia dove into her backpack and fished out the blue sweet potato ocarina that her mother had giver her earlier that year as a grad present.

By the time Cora had finished defeating Ghirahim, Nadia was just finishing that last song she had memorized for the ocarina. Cora saved and turned off her Wii, when strange things started to happen. Nadia looked outside, only to see everything was slowly turning grey. What was even stranger, it appeared that time had frozen. Across the street from Cora's bedroom window, a little boy was playing basketball, only he had frozen mid jump, and the ball stayed put.

Nadia, by instinct, quickly shoved her ocarina in her backpack and held onto it for dear life.

Cora had noticed as well, but when she was about to say something, a bright light blinded both of them. When the bright light finally disappeared, they blinked a few times, taking in their surroundings. They were in a field that stretched on for kilometres.

"Okay," Nadia said.

"Where are we?" Cora questioned. She looked up in the distance, and a grin slowly grew on her face. "Nadia, does that mountain and rock face look at all familiar?"

The older one looked at what her friend was looking at. Just to make sure she wasn't seeing things, she whipped her head around and looked backwards. Yes, her friend was correct. There, in the far distance, stood a castle. A castle with greenish roofs. "Oh for goodness sake, you can't expect me to believe that we're here, in Hyrule."

Cora just shrugged. "I don't mind." Of course she didn't mind, one of her dreams came true. In fact, so had Nadia's, but hers had a different twist to it than her friend's.

"So we just apply what we know of the land and go to which place; Kakariko or Castle Town?" Nadia asked herself, but Cora heard, too. "Well, Kakariko is definitely closer," she reasoned with herself. "Alright, Cora, let's get going." Nadia grabbed her backpack, slung it on her shoulder, and began the trek towards the village.

However, neither of the girls knew it, but their memories of anything before this were slipping away, quite quickly.

"Nadia, we might get to see… um. Who's the person in the village again?" Cora said, looking slightly confused.

Her friend was just as confused. "Who are you talking about, Cora? We're going to the village, just so that we don't get hurt by the monsters that come out at night. I don't remember anyone special in the village." In fact, Nadia couldn't remember the village's name, just that they had to get there. "And thank god this isn't… uh. What's the newest game called? I'd be lost there, anyway."

"I'd know the way around, Nadia. It'd have Ghirahim in it, too." At that, her eyes got kind of dreamy.

Nadia rolled her eyes. She'd prefer Ganondorf _any _day to Ghirahim. "Hey, he might be here. Just because we're in this version of this place doesn't mean that the evil guys aren't all here." Then she groaned. "That means the ones from the DS games. Those guys are just bad villains."

Cora smiled again. "Cheer up, look, we're nearly at a passage in the rocks."

-:-

On a rock high up above the two teens, someone stood there, grinning with an evil twist to it. He had ashy skin and snow white hair. Yes, he was the same Ghirahim that the two were talking mindlessly about. They intrigued him even further, because they weren't from anywhere in Hyrule.

Cora had on a light green t-shirt that had a few designs on it, and a pair of jeans. Nadia had on white cargo pants, a red tight fitting t-shirt and a baggy purple hoodie. Definitely not from Hyrule, or any of the surrounding lands.

Ghirahim grumbled to himself as he had to report back to Ganondorf. Back in time, when all the trouble started, when Demise had perished, Ghirahim remained alive. Over the centuries, he nursed himself back to health, only to find someone that was a descendant of Demise.

At first he was glad that Demise wasn't gone forever, but quickly grew to despise Ganondorf. He wanted all the power for himself, and didn't want to give any to Ghirahim. That irked the Demon Lord quite a bit. However, he was supposed to report back anything suspicious in Hyrule to the Evil King. So, with heavy thoughts, Ghirahim disappeared in a bunch of diamonds, only to reappear in the audience chamber of Hyrule castle.

Not many people knew that Ganondorf had completely taken control of Hyrule. Yes, Zelda still 'ruled', but she was just a figure head that kept up appearances. The best part of this for Ganondorf was, that because he had the help of Ghirahim, the legendary hero, Link, was swiftly dealt with during his rise to power.

The evil king looked up when Ghirahim appeared. "This had best be important, Ghirahim."

Ghirahim had a twisted smile on his face. "It is. There seems to be two girls who know of us," the Demon lord began, when Ganondorf interrupted him.

"Then deal with them. I do not want people to know just yet. The moment isn't right."

"You didn't let me finish. The are not from Hyrule or anywhere else for that matter. They speak slightly odd and they are dressed differently."

Ganondorf contemplated this news for a minute. Perhaps he shouldn't kill them just yet. They might prove useful yet. "Capture them and bring them to me. Let's see what they know."

-:-

AN: Yeah, I know. Not the best fic in the world, what else is new? And I do apologize if you don't like my Ghirahim character at all, I've rarely seen him. I've played Skyward Sword maybe for half an hour at my friend's house. I just can't take him seriously… sorry to all his fans.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

AN: Thanks to those who like this story. You guys are amazing. This would've been up sooner today, but I accidentally stayed up til I think 3 playing Halo... whoops!

Disclaimer: I not own LoZ. : )

-:-

Cora and Nadia had arrived at the village just as the sun was setting. Perfect timing, in their books. They checked into the inn that was in the middle of the village, and were surprised that they got it for free. The inn keeper had seen them coming, with the lost look in their eyes, and felt pity for them.

The inn keeper gave them a warm smile. "Tomorrow, we'll get you two to Castle Town so that you can get some help." The two teens looked at each other with more confusion in their eyes, but were too tired from the trek to care.

Once in their room that they shared, Cora laid on her back on a bed. "This isn't so bad. I mean, we don't know where we are, but that's okay."

Nadia felt the opposite. She hated the feeling of not knowing what was happening. She liked to know things, and right now, there was a huge gap in her memory. She couldn't for the life of her remember anything beyond when they were in the field.

Cora had forgotten everything, as well, except she knew Nadia was her friend. She knew that had been friends for a long time, but that was about it. She closed her eyes, and quickly fell asleep.

Nadia had a little bit more trouble falling asleep. She couldn't shake the feeling of something bad, but she decided that it was just her being paranoid.

In truth, Nadia couldn't have been more correct. Something bad was going to happen, and neither of them would know what had happened until they woke up.

Shortly after they had both fallen asleep, Ghirahim appeared. He looked at them both, deciding what to do with them. After a minute for thought, he grabbed Cora and disappeared, no one the wiser. He quickly deposited her in a room in Hyrule castle, and went back for the older teen.

One thing that Ghirahim didn't think about, was that Nadia was the lightest sleeper. The moment Ghirahim's hands touched her, she woke up and screamed. However, her scream was muffled by a hand placed over her mouth.

"Hm, seeing as you're already awake, we'll start with you." Nadia grabbed hold of her backpack's strap just in time. The two of them disappeared, only to reappear in the audience chamber from before. Ganondorf was lounging on a throne when they appeared before him.

The moment Nadia's feet touched the ground, Ghirahim left her to stand aside Ganondorf. The evil king glanced over her. She was definitely not of Hyrule or any of the surrounding lands. In fact, she just looked scared; scared and innocent. Ganondorf only had to remind himself that Link was very much the same way, so he disregarded her fear.

"Do you know who I am?" he finally asked after a few moments of pure silence.

Nadia looked at him, fear apparent in her eyes. "No," she whispered.

Immediately, Ganondorf turned to Ghirahim. "You brought the wrong one," he growled.

"But," Nadia spoke up. "You seem familiar. Both of you do. Like from a memory, but I have none."

Ganondorf perked up again, ever so slightly. "How is it you have no memories?"

Nadia looked at the ground. "All I remember is looking around a giant field. Any memories before that are gone. Same with Cora. We can't remember our lives."

"Then why mention us while walking to the village?" Ghirahim questioned.

"I don't remember." Both the Demon Lord and the Evil King scowled at this. She was taken away by Ghirahim, to a room which, to her dismay, didn't have Cora.

-:-

When Cora woke up, she didn't even recognize her surroundings. She was on an extremely soft bed and there was silk tapestries hanging on the walls. "Where am I?" she asked herself before the door opened.

There stood Ghirahim, with a scowl plastered on his face. Why did he have to be the one running the errands for Ganondorf. However, the moment he saw that the other teen was awake, he switched to a fake smile. "Sleep well?" He asked sarcastically and tilted his head to the side.

Cora could hear the sarcasm in his voice, so decided not to answer. Ghirahim walked over to her and grabbed her chin. "Perhaps you can provide the information your friend couldn't." Cora couldn't help but notice just how soft his fingers were, but at the mention of Nadia, she snapped back.

"Where is Nadia?"

Ghirahim thought for a minute, then answered without letting go of her chin. "She's resting, for now; she had a difficult night." By saying that, he got the reaction he wanted; fear. He disappeared, along with her, only to reappear in the same room he had brought Nadia during the night.

However, there was one thing missing; Ganondorf. He was no where in sight. Instead, Ghirahim waltzed over to the throne and lounged on it. "Seeing as the King is currently indisposed, I suppose I'll have to be the one asking questions."

Cora didn't like the sound of that, but to her surprise, she barely had to speak.

"Your friend, whatever her name was, said you wouldn't have any memories. Do you, or don't you?" When Cora remained silent, Ghirahim disappeared and reappeared in front of the teen. He lifted her up by the neck, waiting for an answer.

Cora wasn't about to break that easily, but the bad feeling in the pit of her stomach grew worse as Ghirahim's twisted grin grew bigger. He set her down. "Very well. If you don't want to speak, you should pray that I'm more merciful than Ganondorf. I hear that your friend could barely move after he was finished. She should count herself lucky that she survived."

By the end of his speech, Cora was shaking from fear. But something didn't make sense. "Didn't she talk? Otherwise you wouldn't know we don't have memories."

Ghirahim gave a cruel laugh, one that sent shivers down Cora's spine. "Of course she spoke. She dared to oppose us, that's why."

-:-

AN: So this chapter is a little shorter than the last one. I know, I know, Ghirahim is OOC. Try writing for a character you don't know, and the websites don't explain a lot. : ( Oh well. Reviews are welcomed. (Of course they are, what am I talking about?)

Also, this story is about to get slightly darker, nothing graphic, but darker. But what do you expect? We're dealing with two big bad villains, here.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

AN: Wow, this the third chapter already. I finished the first two in one day, so I said, why not start the third?

Disclaimer: I'm getting tired of saying that I don't own Zelda…

-:-

Nadia hadn't been able to move after what she had endured, only because her legs and arms were too bruised to move. She wasn't sure, but she might have also suffered a blow to the head. She wasn't sure about a lot of things, but what she did know was that she was lucky that she was alive.

"Oh, god," she groaned as she finally took in her surroundings. She was in the same room that she had been put in, but other than a bed for resting on, it was bare. Nadia then began to recount what had happened that got her into this situation, into this much pain.

It was probably a few hours after Ghirahim had dropped her in this room, when someone else entered. As Ganondorf stood there, he commanded her to sit down; but Nadia was defiant. She wouldn't do as he said, she was trying to be brave, and Ganondorf knew it. The only way to make her less defiant was to break her, in his mind.

All that mattered now was that she was in a lot of pain; so much that she didn't even want to try to crawl to the bed. She was pretty sure her skin was broken somewhere, because she saw a red smear on the floor, but didn't want to investigate any further. Exhausted, she laid her head back on the stone floor and fell into a troubled sleep.

In her dream, she felt like she knew a lot of things she didn't, but it was just past her reach. It frustrated her to no end that she could be so close, and yet still not have a single memory.

When she awoke, she was alone and sore everywhere. Nothing had gotten better, but nothing had gotten worse, as well. She could only hope that Cora was better off with Ghirahim than she had been with Ganondorf.

-:-

Saying that Cora was better off than Nadia was technically correct, but she was still hurt; if not physically, then definitely mentally. Early on, Ghirahim had learned of her fear of death, and was capitalizing on it. "You should be grateful," he said. "I'm not killing you. Though I'm not surprised; Ganondorf never lets me kill anyone around here. He takes it all for himself."

Cora was weighing her chances of escaping; they were pretty thin. Ghirahim was less than three feet from her, and even if she managed to get past him, he'd still teleport and grab her where ever she hid in the castle.

Even how thin the chance was, she took it. When Ghirahim was in mid-sentence, Cora bolted for the door. To her surprise, she made it through. She didn't look back as she just kept running, and soon she came across two stairs; one up and the other down.

The logical choice was down, because then she could eventually escape out of the castle. Cora flew down the stairs in hopes to not get caught; she ended up jumping three steps at a time in order to get down it faster.

As she was running, she was thinking to herself about Nadia. Much to her dismay, she didn't have time to find her. Plus, if she was as injured as she imagined, then Nadia would slow her down, and both would get caught for sure. Right now, the only way Cora could think of to help Nadia was to not help her, and instead get a plan in motion after her escape.

Cora kept running, until she began to lose her breath. She hid in a small, windowless room to catch her breath, but that was all Ghirahim needed in order to catch her. He materialized behind her and snaked his arms around her shoulders. In her ear, he whispered, "That was a fun game."

The teen started to shake once more, this time more violently. "Come now, let's play again. I'll give you a two minute head start this time. You try to escape, and I'll catch you." When Cora didn't move, Ghirahim clicked his tongue. "Time's wasting, Cora. Unless you'd prefer a much more physical game of catch, I suggest that you move."

That got Cora moving as she zipped out of the room and down another flight of stairs. She feared what would have happened if she had remained in the room, images filtering their way through her mind. She ran down several corridors, stopped for a quick breath, then made her way to the ground floor. Without knowing where she was going, she accidentally stumbled upon a courtyard, which caused her to be trapped.

It was raining outside, which only dampened her mood as she realized there were no open windows to climb through.

Ghirahim had indeed caught up to Cora, but was enjoying watching her figure out she was trapped. "I win again, it seems. Can you not put up a decent challenge?" he said as he appeared in front of her. She jumped back a little, but tripped on a stone in the ground and fell.

She landed with a silent thud, luckily not hitting her head on the ground. She looked up to see him standing over her, looking smug. "Hm, this game is getting boring, seeing as I always catch you. What else to play?"

Either she was very lucky, or it was a coincidence, it didn't matter. A guard had come to the courtyard to alert Ghirahim that a prisoner had tried to escape. Ghirahim scowled at the guard, then looked back at Cora, who was still on the ground. "Why did you not alert Ganondorf?"

"He is still indisposed, and he requested that you deal with any problems for now," the guard answered and left.

Ghirahim growled and returned Cora to her room. "I'll be back," he muttered, unimpressed with the current situation. He was in the middle of a game, and the prisoner just had to try and escape. Figures. Also, why was Ganondorf still indisposed? Ghirahim knew from past experience that the King always tried to be up the earliest he could possibly be.

-:-

In fact, Ganondorf wasn't indisposed, he was wide awake. However, he didn't want any interruptions while he formulated a plan. He wasn't quite sure what to do with the two teens that had stumbled into Hyrule from who knows where. They had no memories of who they were before, and they couldn't continue on like this. Sure, no one would miss them, but still.

Well, Ganondorf couldn't continue on with this; he was sure the Demon Lord could. Ghirahim was tricky at the best of times, which was undesirable most of the time. Ganondorf didn't like it when things repeated themselves over and over again; it got boring.

He needed to figure out a permanent solution, and think of it soon. Perhaps he could kill the older one, and just let Ghirahim have his way with the younger one. No, he thought, that wouldn't do. He had to think of something.

-:-

AN: So, there we go, another chapter done. (I know I didn't post them all on the same day, but the first three chapters were written in one day). And now, onto chapter 4!


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four

AN: … I have nothing good to say here…

Disclaimer: Oh, Primus, not again! Fine, I don't own LoZ!

-:-

A week had passed, and over that week, Nadia had gained back most of her health. Her leg still hurt sometimes when she walked, but it was better than nothing. Every day, Ghirahim had tormented Cora until she almost broke, but he never completely broke her down.

Nadia hadn't seen Ganondorf at all that week, but was on edge whenever someone entered the room she was in. She hoped that she never saw him again, but that was impossible.

It had been a week, and it finally crossed the evil king's mind that he might want to see if Nadia was still alive after what he had done. She should be, Ganondorf thought to himself as he made his way to were Nadia was being kept. After all, I left her immobile, yes, but very much alive, he continued to think to himself, completely ignoring Ghirahim appear beside him and walk with him.

Ghirahim was trying to establish the fact that he didn't want to deal with the prisoners in the dungeons, but Ganondorf had successfully tuned out the Demon Lord. He didn't care what his problems were, unless they were important. Why had he even agreed to partnering up with him if he would complain about how he ran things this much? Ghirahim gave up after five minutes of trying to reach Ganondorf, so he went off to see if he could torment someone to pass the time.

Glad that the Demon Lord was gone, Ganondorf continued on his way to Nadia. It didn't take that long before he reached her door, which he entered, unannounced.

Nadia spun around at the sound of the door opening, and fear settled in the pit of her stomach; she had been dreading this moment for some time. She looked up at him, trying to put on a brave face, but faltering greatly. All she could do was silently hope that he wouldn't hurt her as much as last time.

Ganondorf moved further into the room, closing the door behind him as he did so. He gave Nadia a quick look over, assessing the damage, or lack there of. She had recovered well, but she had more weight placed on her left leg. Most of the bruising had gone, any cuts she had had healed within the first few days.

He let her squirm for a few more minutes under his gaze until he spoke, and when he did, it was with an even tone. "Are you willing to assist me?"

Nadia stood there, silent, contemplating what to do. "And, if I say no?"

"Then Ghirahim will have the pleasure of killing you," he said as he moved forward and grabbed Nadia's jaw. He was at least two feet taller than Nadia, and his hands were massive. "I'm assuming he'll probably play with you, as he does with most of his food. Such a pity, really."

The teen swallowed, as she looked everywhere but directly in front of her. She really didn't want to die, and being played with before sounded cruel. "Fine, I will help you."

Ganondorf pulled her face closer to his, and whispered "Excellent." in her ear. He let go of her and stood up completely straight. "With you now, I have no further need of Ghirahim."

Nadia couldn't keep her mouth shut. "But, if you get rid of him, wouldn't he just fight back?"

"He has no army, and very little resources," Ganondorf replied. "The day will come, I am sure, when he retaliates. But that time is far off."

Something didn't make sense to Nadia, though. "What do you need me to do that you can't?"

She got a bad feeling in the pit of her stomach the moment a twisted grin spread across Ganondorf's face. "You shouldn't have a problem with this. Just get rid of your friend, so Ghirahim can't get started right away."

"What… what do you mean by 'get rid of'?"

"Eliminate, kill."

Something swelled inside Nadia, something that resembled a small bit of courage. "No, I won't do it. I'm not going to help. I'd rather die than betray a friend."

"Well, that can definitely be arranged, Nadia," Ganondorf said, almost angry at the teen.

-:-

Over the week, Cora hadn't been allowed to leave the room she was always kept in, except when Ghirahim wanted to play a game. She was tired of it the moment a game started, but it never grew old for the Demon lord.

On the positive side, Cora had become more familiar with the castle that she and Nadia were kept in. Of course she didn't know it precisely, but she did know where several dead ends were by the end of the week.

Once, she even made it to the front entrance, but there Ghirahim was, waiting for her like always. No matter what she did, Cora couldn't ever lose Ghirahim. He always knew where she was, and even after a series of endless turns, it didn't matter.

Ghirahim would find new ways to torment her after one method got boring. He soon figured out her fear of spiders, and brought a few in one day. The result was as he expected, and hoped. She would scream a few times, then try to get away from the arachnids.

As Ghirahim was on his way to Cora's room, a messenger ran to his side. "What is it?" he asked, venom in his voice slightly.

"The king has requested your presence, Lord Ghirahim."

Scowling, Ghirahim took off for the audience chamber, which he was sure he would find Ganondorf. "You wanted me?"

Ganondorf shoved Nadia forward, whose hands were bound by thick rope. "Dispose of this girl as you see fit; she is of no use to me."

Ghirahim grinned as he grabbed Nadia, and led her away. Once they were out in the hallway, he turned his head slightly, just to see her reaction. "Let's get your friend a good view of what is to come, shall we?"

Nadia began walking slower, then came to a complete stop. Ghirahim had walked a few steps in front of her, when he heard it. It was barely audible, but it was definitely there. "Please, don't kill me." Nadia gave a small sob, then looked up.

"Oh, of course. Now why would I do that?" He paused for a minute. "What could you possibly have to offer?"

"I know that Ganondorf intends to get rid of you."

Ghirahim curled his fingers into a fist, he knew it would eventually come, but he didn't think it was that soon. Actually, Ghirahim had intended to just waltzed out of the castle, and not return one day. "Fine, I'll let you live. However, Ganondorf expects you to be dead, so I suppose you shouldn't be seen. It would cause trouble for everyone, wouldn't it?"

Nadia only nodded when Ghirahim undid the ropes that bound her wrists together. However, before she could move, she was pushed against a wall. "Remember, not a word to anyone."

-:-

AN: I honestly don't know where that last bit came from, but from what I know/have seen of Ghirahim, it almost suits him. Maybe not, but I could easily see him playing with his food, whatever he eats…


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five

AN: *insert line from Mulan: I live!* So, yeah. Cat scratches on your wrist hurt like… um… more than a needle poke. The nurses lie when they say its like a cat scratch. -_- I should know, being in and out of hospitals when I was a child, I had plenty of IV's stuck in my arm. Anywho, I am not dead, just that my Zelda mood swings on and off every few months. (I know it's May… shh!)

Just letting everyone know, I dislike romance to the extreme… makes me want to gag usually. There are rare occasions though; this isn't one of them.

-:-

Nadia was in debt to Ghirahim for sparing her life, but she didn't want to know what that would be. Just thinking about it would give her the chills. Except, he had yet to let her off the wall. "Um, am I allowed to go?"

She could see Ghirahim think for a minute. "I'd much rather play a game with you. What game would you prefer to play?"

Ghirahim still had Nadia against the wall; he didn't know what this girl feared, unlike Cora. He had easily found out Cora's fears, but this one might be tougher to crack. Key word being might. Just then, a sly grin crept across his as an idea struck him.

The Demon Lord leaned forward and placed his lips on hers, causing Nadia to be confused for a moment. However, the next second, there was a loud _crack_ and Ghirahim reeled backwards a few feet; he brought his hand up to his cheek as it began to sting.

This mere mortal had _slapped_ him.

Nadia had seized the moment and quickly walked away, unsure of where to go. She turned left, seeing as left was always her lucky side. She prayed to whatever god or goddess that happened to be listening that she survive this day.

-:-

Ganondorf wasn't in the greatest of moods, and the poor messenger who had brought him the news was suffering a terrible fate this very moment. He had something stolen from him that he had painfully paid for, or rather, someone.

With the Gerudo tribe all but gone, except for himself, Ganondorf required a true Gerudo heir, as was once customary to his people. However, the Hylians made sure that his race had all been wiped from existence. That was one of the many things that drove him to take over Hyrule once again.

However, his heir was now missing. Perhaps he'd wait just a bit longer to get rid of Ghirahim; his ability to teleport would prove useful in retrieving his heir. He stood up from where he sat and began to roam the halls in search of Ghirahim.

-:-

Ghirahim scowled as he began to look for Nadia; the slap had stunned him long enough to allow her to escape. He kept on appearing and disappearing in and out of random rooms and halls, looking for some sign of Nadia. He also heard his name being called out twice, but if he didn't find and hide the girl before someone else found her, he'd have a heavy price on his beautiful head.

He eventually found her at the end of a hall, which was actually just a dead end, the only escape was the large windows that overlooked a courtyard three stories below. He grinned as he approached her, watching her eyes widen as he came closer.

"Oh, don't look frightened. I was, and am, rather gracious in sparing your life. Someone as fabulous as me is bound to have something to improve on to achieve perfection, after all." However, Nadia's eyes were still wide with what appeared to be fear, and Ghirahim only had a moment to take it in before being pushed to the side roughly.

Cora had rushed past Ghirahim, having managed to escape the room she had been confined in. She partially threw herself onto her friend. "Nadia, I'm glad you're okay."

Nadia put an arm around Cora's shoulder. "Yeah, I'm fine. Nothing can hurt me." When Cora let go, Nadia looked up, only to instantly pale in fright. Ghirahim had disappeared, and in his place stood Ganondorf, his sword drawn.

"It appears you two are nothing but trouble for me," he said as he raised the sword and brought it down. The moment before, Cora had pushed Nadia out of the way of the blow, ensuring that her friend wouldn't get hurt.

As the sword was millimetres from her face, a green barrier formed around her for the instant the sword made contact, then disappeared. Cora had seen it, but Ganondorf, having not seen it, was put in an even fouler mood when his sword failed him.

He swung again and again, each time the barrier flaring up instantly then disappearing right after. He growled in quiet rage, then turned to Nadia. She was the one that was supposed to be dead, but, as he had half expected, Ghirahim had failed in that.

Little did everyone know, Ghirahim had, in fact, not abandoned everyone there. He was just simply lofting about in the beams near the ceiling, watching what was transpiring below. He had seen the protective shield that had appeared around Cora, and that in itself was unusual.

Before any more harm could befall the two girls, he would take them to a place long forgotten with time. He reappeared in the gap between the two, quickly grabbed hold of both of them, and then disappeared in a flurry of diamonds.

-:-

The green shield that had protected Cora before only confirmed what he had thought originally; the three Goddesses of Old had transferred the Triforce from the prisoner in the dungeon of Hyrule Castle to someone. That someone, being Cora, was now in his possession. Oh, how he loved owning things that others wanted; it made him giddy inside.

He took the two girls to a place long forgotten in time, somewhere deep within the ever-changing world. Ages ago, there was once a temple deep within the woods, the Sealed temple, or so it was, until Ghirahim had managed to break the seal.

Suffering from time, the temple itself lay in ruins, subject to the forces of nature. However, just beyond it, was an old mansion, kept in perfect shape. Ghirahim may have had a hand in that, being able to perform certain magic still.

The moment his feet touched solid ground, he released the two girls a bit harshly; humans tended to get on his nerves very quickly, as time had proved.

The two stared in wonder at the place they were in. Cora was amazed at the sheer size of it, while Nadia, on the other hand, had seen through a window an old, decaying ruin some ways away through many trees. She grinned at it, perhaps she'd explore it later on, if given the chance.

Ghirahim smirked at Nadia; he was mostly sure that the Goddesses had given her a second piece of the Triforce, while he knew for sure that Ganondorf's heir, a young woman, perhaps three years older than these two, had the last one.

That's the main reason why he had hidden her in the first place; she wasn't far from here, in fact she was about a half hour walk away from the mansion. It had been tricky to get her away and seal her for the time being; she had been overly loyal to Ganondorf, and had never taken a liking to Ghirahim; always saying he was something like a worm.

Ghirahim smirked to himself; she'd have to watch her mouth when he retrieves her.

The rest of what remained of that day was spent explaining, painfully for some of the part, where everything they needed was, and laying the boundaries. He had no fear of them escaping, seeing as they were at the bottom of a canyon. And unless they had a Loftwing, he recalled the name of the birds of old, they wouldn't be going anywhere.

"Now, I suggest you find some substance that is suitable for eating before retiring; tomorrow we need to get started," Ghirahim said, before quickly turning on his heel.

Nadia narrowed her eyes slightly. "Hang on. Why are we here in the first place, and just what are _we_ doing tomorrow?"

Ghirahim sighed, he hoped she wouldn't prove to be this inquisitive about everything that occurred. "I just saved your lives, so be grateful for that. As for tomorrow, we begin work. I need to raise my Master once more, and I need the help of you two and another to do it."

However, just to insure that this once did have one of the Triforces within her, he put a barrier up dividing the two girls apart. He summoned a blade, not too long, most would consider it a little more than a dagger, and rushed towards Nadia.

Before she had time to react, a searing pain began in her left leg and travelled up across her entire body. She fell to the floor and looked at her leg; it had a cut in it, and was bleeding. She put her hands over the wound to try to suppress the blood flow and looked up at Ghirahim. "What the _hell_?" she yelled at him, her voice shaking slightly as tears began to spill from her eyes.

She knew it; she was going to die here. No one in the world ever gave a second thought about her anyways. Somehow, she had always managed to help someone along so that they got everything they asked for, and she was always left behind, forgotten the moment they left.

Every day in the past week, she had a sinking feeling that she'd die alone, uncared for. Even though Cora was right there, watching, she couldn't do anything. The moment she had seen the blood on Nadia's leg, she turned away.

Ghirahim stood there for a moment, temporarily confused. How had she not been protected? Unless, of course, the Triforce piece he thought she had still resided in Zelda. He snapped his head up when he heard Nadia stop crying suddenly.

"Where's my backpack?" she asked, a sinking emotion was creeping up on her as she realized she didn't have it with her. She looked up at Ghirahim, caught his gaze a moment before he disappeared. The moment he left, Cora rushed to Nadia and slid down on the cold stone floor.

Nadia received a strong hug, Cora forgetting the strength she had. Nadia just leaned her head on Cora, letting the pain soak in slowly. She knew that her backpack had medical supplies in it, though it wasn't much. Bandages, string, and a small knife made up the kit she had.

Ghirahim returned a few minutes later, after having some trouble locating her backpack. He had found it, finally, hidden behind the bed frame. He dug through it there as well, wondering why she needed it; until he saw the bandages.

When he reappeared, he walked over, holding what made up Nadia's medical supplies. Upon instinct of doing things herself and not needing someone else's help, she instantly reached for the items. However, Ghirahim just smirked and held them at a distance.

"Give me them so I can fix _your _mess," Nadia said, a little annoyed. She was trying her hardest to not cry anymore, but she knew sooner or later the tears would come again.

Ghirahim made a _tsk_ing noise, kneeled on the floor and began to wrap up the wound. He was feeling gracious, having finally left Hyrule Castle. However, he still needed the last piece of the Triforce before he could begin to raise his Master once more.

He'd still keep Nadia alive, but only to use against Cora, as she had no other use; or that he knew of yet. He took notice of Nadia's face when he had finished tending the wound; she looked troubled, something that he definitely didn't like. It most likely meant that she was thinking of more flaws or questions to point out.

However, what she said surprised not only Ghirahim and Cora, but also herself, too. "In order to raise Demise, you still need two pieces."

-:-

AN: Well, this definitely took a turn of events. I had spent much time contemplating (And… erm… playing Skyward Sword. I'm so close; just have to fight Mr. Pretty Princess another time, then Demise!) and this is what I came up with. Erm… Am I the only one who can't mentally or physically fight Ghirahim because I can't take him seriously enough as a threat? The trailer for the game threw me off when I first saw it, and then first battle… *slaps* -,- Nintendo, I want _scary villians, not prancy, fluffy ones I can't take seriously. Luckily, my brother can ^,^ _


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter Six

AN: So, I was thinking about how I would go about bring back Demise… and then a sick and twisted grin grew on my face. Not sure if it should get an M rating just yet… when the time comes, I will… *sniff* character death will come later (not in this chapter), but it's for the greater good. *goes to cry in the corner, all alone with my favourite character plushie*

-:-

Ghirahim stared at Nadia for a moment; he knew they had been pulling a trick on him. He sprang backwards and pointed a finger at her dramatically. "How do you know that name? Decided to tell me how you two know of this world?"

"What are you talking about? I don't know anything. What did I even say?" Nadia countered, trying to stand up, managing to stand on her right leg, slightly lifting her left foot above the ground. It took her a moment to balance, but she was determined to stand on her own. She even gently pushed Cora away when her friend tried to help her stand.

"You clearly have knowledge of my Master, information that I _know_ only I know about." Ghirahim lowered his hand; clearly she didn't remember speaking, which seemed weird to say the least. "Well, then. I suggest you retire; it's a rather busy day tomorrow for those of us who actually have a use in this world," Ghirahim said, emotionally cutting Nadia up into pieces.

Nadia narrowed her eyes before asking, "Is there any food in this place?"

Cora muttered something about not being hungry; the sight of blood had taken away her appetite completely, and instead tried to insist on helping Nadia.

The older girl, however, shrugged off her friend and made her way to where she had been told the kitchen was located. She limped over to a cupboard, putting as little weight on her left leg as possible. She opened the cupboard, only to find a hard loaf of bread in it.

In a different cupboard she found dried berries, but put them back; she had a distaste for berries, aside from raspberries, strangely enough. So, breaking off a piece of bread from the loaf, she put the larger part back and took the dried piece she had to where she was told she could sleep.

Cora watched her friend at a distance; Nadia insisted on doing everything herself and hated to accept help. Somewhere deep inside, she knew it wasn't out of pride, but out of selflessness. She knew Nadia; if she had to, would give an arm and a leg if it meant someone would be better off than her.

Even though she wasn't there helping her up the stairs, Cora always stayed a few feet behind Nadia in case she fell. However, the older girl was determined to get up the stairs by herself, and so she did; very painfully and very slowly.

Eventually Cora just shook her head; at these times, Nadia was an idiot for not accepting help, however obvious it was that she needed it. She tailed her friend until she disappeared into a room that she dubbed her own. Sighing, she made her way to her own room, tired from the days recent events.

At least they were safe for now.

-:-

By the time the two teens had rolled out of bed, or in Nadia's case, wiggled, Ghirahim had already retrieved what he had hidden a little ways away. Nadia, in fact, had woken up earlier, but she just didn't feel like leaving her bed at all that day. Cora on the other hand had always been a late sleeper; she was used to waking at around noon.

At the main entrance stood a young woman, her skin darker than most and her red hair tied back. Her arms were crossed as she watched Ghirahim over dramatically tell of what had happened thus far. She knew he was exaggerating parts of the tale, that much was obvious. She was, however, intrigued why Ganondorf hadn't told her that there were two rather interesting girls being kept at the castle.

None of it changed how she felt about Ghirahim; she still thought lowly about him, and now that he had explained what had transpired and what he planned to do, she thought even less of him.

After he finished explaining, the young woman turned on her heel and headed straight for the door. She raised her hand in the air and gave him a backwards wave. "Good luck on your path to insanity." She reached the door, only to find that when it opened, she wasn't able to pass through it.

She whipped her head around and her glare bore daggers into Ghirahim. "Why can't I get through?"

"Oh, forgot to mention, you belong to me now, so you can't leave," Ghirahim smirked and walked forward. "I always get what I want in the end."

The young woman lunged at him, fists at the ready, only to punch the air. The Demon Lord had disappeared and reappeared on a railing. "I'd rather you save your energy. It's no use fighting what was intended to happen from the very beginning."

"Magic is just a cheap way out of things. Get down here and fight properly."

Ghirahim tapped his finger on his jaw, but did reappear before the woman. "Mmm, not right now. I have some planning to do; mostly dealing with Ganondorf and the ever so precious maiden. Good thing that the Goddess's dog isn't here to foil my plans, again." He ended up talking to himself, then remembered he still had an audience. "Perhaps you should go wake up the other two that reside here."

Unbeknownst to both Ghirahim and the young woman, at the top of the stairs Nadia stood, quietly observing the scene below.

"And why would I do a hand maid's job?" the woman asked, her temper starting to flare.

"Yes, Ghirahim, why?" Nadia suddenly asked aloud, earning the attention of both down below. "And why wouldn't I be able to wake up on my own?"

The Demon Lord smirked. "You did suffer a wound yesterday."

Nadia frowned. "That you yourself inflicted. Tell me, do you always treat ladies this nice? Or are we earning a 'special' treatment." She then turned the conversation to the woman standing below. "Hello, my name is Nadia. Might I ask you yours?"

The woman below nodded. "My name is Kayri. Not a particularly common name here, I suppose neither is yours. However, I am told by both Ganondorf and history texts that my name was a common one used in the Gerudo Tribe."

"Gerudo Tribe?" Nadia asked, now intrigued.

Kayri nodded. "The Gerudo were a race of desert dwellers that had to resort to thievery most of the time to survive. The entire race were women, except one male that was born every hundred years, who would end up being their king."

Nadia and Kayri were engrossed in the conversation so much that they didn't notice Ghirahim slink away to find Cora.

"That's amazing," Nadia said, glad to be learning something. "Wait, you said were. Aren't there any more?"

Kayri shook her head. "They were wiped out. The desert proved too harsh at one point, causing dehydration of the water they had. As far as I know, Ganondorf is the last true Gerudo."

Nadia looked to the ground. "Oh. Mind if I sit?"

Kayri shrugged with a grin. "Want to hear more?" she asked as she sat down across from Nadia. "I learned as much as I could through books and tales."

Nadia nodded eagerly, wanting to learn more.

-:-

When Ghirahim appeared in Cora's room, he noticed that she was awake, but had apparently decided to stay on her bed. Well, at least he didn't need to search for her. In fact, the only real reason he was speaking to Cora was to get some information on Nadia, as he had neglected to observe her during the brief stay at Hyrule Castle.

He knew Cora fairly well, it was Nadia that was a mystery to him. In fact, he had a specific plan in place for Nadia once he figured out if she would fit the bill, so to speak. Cora, Kayri and Zelda, apparently, were key parts in getting his master back. Ganondorf would have to eradicated as soon as possible; that fool was his master's anger reincarnated.

Thankfully, the pest of a human, Link, was in chains at the bottom of Hyrule Castle. While he was barely able to do anything, he was kept alive so that he wouldn't be reborn again.

At the sight of Ghirahim in her room, Cora simply rolled her back to him and tried her best to ignore him. Ghirahim, however, wouldn't be ignored. He walked over to her, grabbed her shoulder and, a little forcefully, turned her to face him.

"Now, I am in need of answers, and you are going to supply them to me," he said, putting one hand on his hip. Cora just stared up at him, unsure if she really should answer or not. However, she hadn't needed to speak at all, because the next moment, she found herself standing rather precariously over an edge. She appeared to be on the roof of the mansion that they were staying in, and there was no way down, except to jump, which would end in a mess on her part.

She looked over the edge, the height dizzying her slightly. That was when she noticed Nadia, Ghirahim and a woman she didn't know standing below, the Demon Lord having a wide smirk on his face. "Help!" she yelled, fear creeping it's way through her system.

Nadia yelled for her to stay there while she figured a way up, but the moment the last word left her mouth, a harsh wind blew from behind, nearly knocking Cora off the roof. She yelled out in fright as she teetered dangerously on the edge, the harsh wind blowing harder than before.

Ghirahim's smirk kept on growing until Nadia finally noticed it, and realized that he was behind this. "Get her down," she said in a commanding tone. Ghirahim only bowed and the wind blew twice as hard, causing Cora's foot to nearly slip. Nadia's eyes widened and she turned to Ghirahim. "Get her down, please," she pleaded.

The Demon Lord put a finger on his chin, as though in thought. "Hmm… What are you willing to do to ensure her safety?"

Nadia had a pleading look on her face, to which Kayri silently scoffed at. At least she knew better than to make a deal with a demon, especially one like Ghirahim. "I'll do anything you want, tell you anything you want. Just get her down _safely_."

Ghirahim smirked; that was just what he had wanted to know. With a snap of his fingers, Cora appeared before the three of them, then ran and gave Nadia a hug. Kayri just put a hand on her face; Nadia had basically sealed her fate, which would most likely end in death.

However, Kayri caught Nadia's gaze, and understanding passed between them. Kayri led Cora inside, perhaps to take her to on a little expedition around the area.

Once Nadia and Ghirahim were alone, the Demon Lord clasped his hands together. "Now, tell me what you know first, before we begin the process."

"Process of what?"

"You shall see. Now, answers. What exactly do you know?"

Nadia blinked for a few times. "I don't remember anything of this life, or technically, before Cora and I ended up in Hyrule field."

Ghirahim frowned at this. "You said you would give me answers."

"And answers you shall get, now shush," Nadia countered. "While I may not remember the past of _this _life, I do, however, have an odd set of memories returning to me. They begin a long time back, in this world. I believe a hero called Link had destroyed both you and Demise, and the tale became legendary. Everyone who lived then heard of it. I have memories of running on an island, floating in the sky. The different lives that I seem to remember are all tied by similar emotions, that much I do know." Nadia fell silent for a minute. "Well, that's what I know. Don't know if it helps you or not."

The Demon Lord couldn't help but grin. Apparently, before him, stood someone who would be reborn again and again, unless the cycle was broken. He had found himself an _old soul_; he couldn't have asked for anything more perfect. And, she seemed to be alive at the point in time when his master was last revived.

For the role of what he had intended her to play, being an old soul bettered her chances of surviving the change needed in the process. He now had a change in plans; yes, he still needed to eradicate Ganondorf before his master was awakened, but he wouldn't be sending himself into the danger zone.

However, the spell he needed to perform would require his magic abilities to be at their peak; a few days of rest would do. It also required some preparations as well, but nothing that was out of his capabilities.

Ghirahim snapped back to reality after planning things out, remembering the last thing she had said. "And what are these particular emotions?"

Nadia twisted her hair with her hand. "Loneliness. Every life that I remember, no one ever paid attention and only used them, er, me, for a step up, then they forgot about me. That's the one thing that never changed."

With that, Nadia walked, or rather limped, back to the interior of the mansion. Ghirahim, however, stayed outside, staring up at the roof, deep in thought. The next week would be an interesting one, that much he was sure of.

-:-

AN: Yay, I'm done. Not entirely sure when the next chapter will be out… but yay! Okay, so apparently, I can fight Ghirahim the third time 'round no problem, but the first two times are a pain in the backside.


End file.
